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Swinburne University research “Reassurance Seeking”

Why do some people seek reassurance and others don’t?

Swinburne University is undertaking research investigating how people relate to one another and the role this plays in the development and maintenance of reassurance seeking behaviour.
Reassurance Seeking is a common symptom of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and other Anxiety Disorders including: Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

Reassurance seeking can be defined as the need to repeatedly ask for safety-related information from others about a threatening object, situation or relationship. It is a major problem as it can create relationship difficulties and increase the severity and frequency of one’s anxiety. Unfortunately, very little research has been conducted on reassurance seeking. Therefore, this project aims to further develop our understanding about the development and maintenance of reassurance seeking behaviour, which could lead to new interventions and treatment options. Specifically it aims to examine how our styles of relating to other people influence the development of this behaviour.

We are seeking both participants who are over the age of 18 and are experiencing:
1. Obsessions and or compulsions, and/or have been diagnosed with OCD.
2. High anxiety, and/or have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

Participation will involve an interview and a pen and paper questionnaire which usually takes between 1 -2 hours. This can be conducted over the phone or in person at Swinburne University in Hawthorn. All information collected for this project will remain confidential.